The 52 hertz whale

Since the 1980s, scientists have heard a single whale in the Pacific, singing at a higher frequency than any other—way up at 52 hertz, rather than down below human hearing at 15-20 hertz where blue and fin whales normally sing. In spite of listening in for two decades, no one has ever heard a lady whale reply.

They are trying to locate and film this lonely whale.

The whale has never been seen, so it is unknown if he actually is traveling alone or in a pod. It’s not even clear what kind of whale he is—a blue whale or a fin, or possibly some other otherwise extinct species.

“We never had a visual,” Daher said. “We don’t know what species it is. We don’t know if it has a malformation. Obviously, it’s healthy. It’s been alive all these years. Is he alone? I don’t know. People like to imagine this creature just out there swimming by his lonesome, just singing away and nobody’s listening.”

Joshua Zeman, a documentary filmmaker, was one of those struck by the story of the 52 hertz whale. Now he’s helming the documentary, which will include a trip to the North Pacific to find the whale. The doc’s Facebook page is living proof of how the story of the whale hits people.